UPDATE 9 a.m. Thursday:
Shasta Elementary School experienced damage to some buildings, infrastructure, and play areas and the school will be working to open at an alternative location.
"The Shasta Elementary School is working hard to open at an alternative location due to damage to some of the buildings, infrastructure and play areas. There will have to be work before the families can be located on that campus and it is still an active evacuation zone," said Redding School District Superintendent Robert Adams in an email.
Original Story
While the Carr Fire continues in Shasta County, Redding schools in the area are attempting to bring a small sense of normalcy to their students as they prepare for the start of school.
The Carr Fire has impacted families of Redding schools around the area. Some have evacuated from their homes and have lost their homes. As of 3:22 p.m., the Carr Fire is at 35 percent containment. However, while dealing with the current realities of the fire, the school district is looking toward providing a safe environment for their students.
Local schools have reached out to families
As a result of the Carr fire impacts and evacuations, some schools in the area have reached out through social media to the families of students that attend their schools.
Schools likes Cypress Elementary and Turtle Bay Elementary have taken to social media to alert people to a donation drive to prepare students for the new school year.
Shasta Union Elementary School, a partner school with Redding School District, has also used social media to update its students and families.
Schools in the area appear to be spared
Shasta County Superintendent Judy Flores has stated that the schools are still standing.
However, according to Superintendent Flores, the playground at Shasta Elementary School was damaged from the fire.
Redding School District had acknowledged in a statement that the Redding schools were not damaged.
Shasta County schools will start the new school year as expected
Shasta County schools are not expecting to see the new school year impacted by the Carr Fire. The Redding School District announced that the first day of school for their district will be August 15.
Office staff have already returned to campus and are already working to provide an ideal environment for students to return to school.
According to County Superintendent Flores, keeping this start time is meant to provide a sense of normalcy to the students as they return to school.
Resources for students impacted by the Carr Fire
If students of the Redding School District are having difficulty handling the impacts of the Carr Fire, the Redding School District provided information that might be helpful to parents, and they are working with other agencies to plan activities to help students and families.
Additionally, those impacted by the Carr Fire will be eligible to receive a free lunch, access to their school, and transportation to their school for the school year, according to the County Superintendent Flores.
Students displaced by the Carr Fire may be recognized as homeless students under the McKinney Vento Act. The designation under the law provides resources to help these students in school.
How communities can help school district employees impacted by the Carr Fire
Redding School District confirmed that some employees of Redding Elementary, Shasta Elementary, and Igo Ono Platina School Districts have lost their homes. The school district has set up a GoFundMe account in partnership with the Education First Foundation to help the Carr Fire victims.
“I have received many offers of help to financially support employees of Redding, Shasta, and Igo who will be in great need over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for educating students and bringing normalcy to our families. We have set up a GoFundMe account in association with the Education First Foundation for those who want to give financially,” said Superintendent Adams in a statement.
“The Foundation will manage these funds. This will be our official fundraising site for the partnership schools. You can send checks directly to the Education First Foundation, at Redding School District Office, with a notation on the memo line ‘Carr Fire Fund.’… Thank you so much for considering supporting this cause. Please spread the word so we can help those in need. Your support would mean a lot to me. Thank you so much!”
How communities can help Carr Fire impacted students heading back to school
Some students impacted by the Carr Fire have also lost their homes and their belongings. Those interested in helping these students as they head back to school can contribute to a GoFundMe account from the Shasta County Office of Education. These funds will go toward providing clothes and supplies to returning students.